


Be My King?

by Local_Queer



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Amazingphil - Freeform, Blood, DAN AND PHIL - Freeform, Demon!Dan, F/F, F/M, Gen, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Homophobia, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Psychological Torture, Swearing, Torture, Vampire!Phil, a fuck ton of violence, also im rewriting this after abandoning it last year, danisnotonfire - Freeform, hopefully it turns out better lmao, it's a wreck and i have no one editing anything so ye it's A Mess, it's hella gay like there's maybe 1.5 straight characters, pastel!dan, pastel/punk phan, pastel/punk!phan, punk!phil, the major character death is NOT dan or phil btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-05-03 14:38:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5295089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Local_Queer/pseuds/Local_Queer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan is set to be the new ruler of underworld. The people doubt he can take the throne since he looks and acts like his mother, Persephone, rather than his father. He loves plants and soft colors, yet he's the most powerful demon known to the Underworld, but the second fact is often ignored due to the first. He is put through test after test until he finally snaps. It seems no one, not even his boyfriend and mate, Phil, can help. How is this all going to end?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first chaptered phanfic and it's very loosely based around a few of my favorite things like Greek mythology and slight (Very Slight) A/B/O. Important notes for the story are: time goes by as normal but all characters are somewhat immortal. Every thousand years roughly translates to a decade and every hundred years is a normal year.  
> *mellītum: is a Latin term of endearment roughly meaning sweet as honey.  
> *matia mou: this is a Greek term of an endearment meaning "my eyes"  
> (correct me if I'm wrong on either of those pls)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan is set to be the new ruler of underworld. The people doubt he can take the throne since he looks and acts like his mother, Persephone, rather than his father. His love of plants and soft colors, yet he's the most powerful demon known to the Underworld, but the second fact is often ignored due to the first. He is put through test after test until he finally snaps. It seems no one, not even his boyfriend and mate, Phil, can help. How is this all going to end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first chaptered phanfic and it's very loosely based around a few of my favorite things like Greek mythology and slight (Very Slight) A/B/O. Important notes for the story are: time goes by as normal but all characters are somewhat immortal. Every thousand years roughly translates to a decade and every hundred years is a normal year.  
> *mellītum: is a Latin term of endearment roughly meaning sweet as honey.  
> *matia mou: this is a Greek term of an endearment meaning "my eyes"  
> (correct me if I'm wrong on either of those pls)

It’s yet another day of strenuous evaluations that leave Dan drained in every way possible. He finally has a chance to take a break, laying in his bed and playing with the plants that hung from the ceiling. With a wave of his hand, the plants would gently sway in the breeze he creates. Being by himself gives Dan time to think about everything. The people of the Underworld are seriously doubting his ability to take over when his father, Hades, will step down. Dan is the sole heir of the throne as Hades and Persephone’s only child. Despite the fact that he is one of the, if not the most, powerful demons to ever exist, he is constantly being doubted. The people’s opinions bring on a slew of evaluations and interviews and most of all: stress. Thankfully, there is only one more evaluation Dan will have to go through for the day, and he plans to relax until then.

Relaxing isn’t exactly possible when your boyfriend loves to scare the ever-loving shit out of you at any given minute.

“Another day of evaluations, I assume?” asks a voice out of seemingly nowhere. Dan jumps at the voice, the calm breeze he was creating turning into a strong gust of wind. He’s ready to defend himself until the intruder reveals himself to be Dan’s boyfriend and mate, Phil.

“Fucks sake, Phil. Can you not scare me like that?” Dan huffs, crossing his arms and glaring at Phil. Phil finds it hilarious, covering his mouth as he laughs.

“It’s so worth it to watch you jump like that. How have you not gotten used to that yet?” Phil chuckles, walking over to Dan and pulling him close. Dan rolls his eyes but leans into Phil’s touch anyways. He goes to reply to Phil, but is interrupted by his father calling for him to go to his evaluation. Dan sighs and stands on his toes to give Phil a quick kiss. 

“I better go before he gets angry. Meet me back in here in an hour,” Dan says as he leaves the room. He quietly ignores the way he sees his father frown at the sight of Phil.

The evaluation starts off as usual, full of invasive and judgemental questions. The one thing that catches him off guard is the question “who will you choose to rule with you?” It terrifies him to think about having to ask someone to rule the entire Underworld with him. Obviously he wants to ask Phil, but how would Phil react? He simply brushes the question off and tries to get through the rest of the evaluation without having a panic attack.

Once Dan leaves to go back to his room, he really starts to panic. He takes a moment to gather himself before Phil can sense something is wrong, then walks into his room. He’ll figure this out later.

Phil is laying on his bed, caught up in a book until he hears Dan entering the room. He smiles at Dan in a way that makes Dan heart flutter in such a cliche way that he wants to puke.

“How’d it go?” Phil asks, setting the book aside and opening his arms for Dan to crawl into. Dan eagerly does so, curling up and resting his head on Phil’s chest. He finds himself calming down as he listens to Phil’s heart start to beat. He loved that he was the only one that could make Phil’s heart beat again. 

“It went fairly well. It was just another verbal evaluation so it wasn’t too taxing.” Dan shrugged, his voice soft as he talked. 

“I knew it would,” Phil says as he pulls Dan close, kissing his forehead. 

“Yeah…” Dan sighs and hides his face in Phil’s chest. Phil quickly notices something is wrong and frowns, sliding his hand up the back of Dan’s jumper and rubbing his back. He gently presses his fingers against the bite mark on the back of Dan’s shoulder, hoping that the reminder of their bond would help calm Dan down.

“What’s wrong,  _ mellītum _ *?” Phil asks quietly, feeling Dan slowly relax. 

“Just tired is all.” Dan shrugs, yawning and closing his eyes.

“Get some rest then, love. I’ll be here when you wake up,” Phil promises, keeping his hand on Dan’s bond mark. Dan nods in response, quickly falling asleep.

Dan wakes up to the feeling of Phil drawing on his back. It’s certainly not the first time, but with all of Dan’s anxieties and the feeling of being half asleep make him a bit more over-reactive than normal.

“Please say you’re not drawing flowers or something on me,” Dan grumbles, trying to sit up, but failing when Phil pushes him back down.

“I am, why?” Phil asks, putting the cap back on the marker. Dan groans, getting up ad pacing the room.

“Because I don’t need ‘feminine’ things on my back when I have physical evaluations coming at me left and right. I have be as masculine as possible or they’ll deem me unfit even though I’m the most powerful demon in existence. Did everyone magically forget that I destroyed a demon over twice my size while I was wearing a flower crown I made literally five minutes before I was attacked? I’m tired of it! I have done nothing but show that I am fully capable of doing this yet they keep putting through test after test after test! I’ve been to thirty evaluations, Phil. Thirty! It’s all because I turned out more like my mother than my father! I should have been like him. Strong, fearless, cold-hearted, and  _ masculine _ . Not like a harmless fucking pansy!” Dan had quickly worked himself up, snapping and causing his room to be destroyed. Papers were flying everywhere and the plants were out of control. 

Phil is sat at Dan’s desk, patiently waiting this out. It hurt to hear Dan in so much emotional stress, but there was nothing he could do. 

“They’ll find one thing wrong with me and I’m out. I’ll be cast aside and shamed by everyone. My parents will have another kid and they’ll take my place...:” Dan trails off, everything calming down slowly.

Phil gets up and walks over to Dan, offering him a small, slightly sad smile. “If it means anything, you scare the shit out of me still,” he says, only somewhat joking. He gets no response, though, as Dan falls to the ground from exhaustion. Phil sighs and picks him up. The energy that took is enough to make anyone pass out. He puts Dan to bed and waits for him to wake up.

Roughly six hours later, Dan is awake and has had two nightmares already. He calls out for Phil who’s walking through the door. Phil closes the door behind himself and walks over to Dan. “Hey, mellītum. I just got done talking with your father. You have one last evaluation in a few days and it’ll be the toughest one yet. I know you can do it, though.” Phil smiles as he sits next to Dan. Dan sits up, sighing shakily.

“I can’t do it. What if I fail? I’ll be banished and anyone who associates themselves with me they’ll be shamed. I’ll never be able to see my family again. They’ll hate me,” Dan’s breath gets faster as he rambles, starting to panic.

“Hey, calm down. You’re going to do wonderfully.” Phil tries to reassure Dan, grabbing his hands but Dan just gets up. He makes a run for it, but Phil knows exactly where Dan is going. He gets up and runs after Dan, thankful that he is much faster than Dan.

Phil won’t admit it, but he’s lost. He’s hopelessly lost in this giant forest while looking for Dan. He’s been looking for at least two hours now and he’s getting frustrated over Dan running from his problems. 

“Dan! Where are you?” Phil calls out in hopes Dan will finally answer him. He’s beyond relieved when he hears a sigh and sees Dan walking towards him.

“I’m not worth all this trouble, Phil,” Dan says as he stops a few feet in front of Phil. Phil just shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair.

“You’re worth everything to me, Dan. Now come here so we can get back to the castle,” Phil says as he reaches out for Dan. Dan steps back, shaking his head.

“Why should I come with you?” Dan asks, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at Phil in a way that should be annoying, but Phil can only find it endearing.

“You’ll come with me because you love me and I need to make sure you don’t get lost on your way home,” Phil says as he tries to reach out for Dan again. Dan just rolls his eyes and grabs Phil’s hand.

“Like I’d be the one to get lost. Let’s go to your place, yeah?” Dan suggests as they start making their way out of the forest. Phil doesn’t get the chance to respond since Cerberus howls from the castle gates. Dan sighs and stops walking, knowing Cerberus would find them before they could escape.

“Looks like I pissed my dad off, Again.” Dan runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head, Cerberus finding them in record time. Dan smiles softly at the giant, three-headed dog in front of them like a kid looks at a puppy. Phil on the other hand, backs up a little bit.

“Oh, come one. He won’t hurt a fly. Well, unless you’ve upset me or mom, but you get the point.” Dan reached out and patted the dog’s paw. Phil shook his head and kept his distance as they walked back to the castle.

Once they were back at the castle, Dan was greeted by an angry shout of his name, but not from his father, no, but his mother.

“Daniel James! Where did you run off to?” Persephone asked as she walked over to Dan and Phil, looking graceful as ever despite having been stress gardening.

“Sorry, mum. I just needed to clear my head for a bit. I was actually on my way here when you sent Cerberus after me,” Dan says as he’s pulled into a hug. Persephone sighs and hold her son close, shaking her head.

“You know you can always come to me to talk about what’s on your mind, right?” Persephone says in such a soft tone that Dan can’t help but relax. He nods and hugs her back tightly. He turns his head to look at Phil, a weak smile on his face.

“Can you take Cerberus back to the castle,  _ matia mou* _ ?” Dan asks quietly, hoping Phil would understand he needed to talk to his mum alone. Phil nodded and gave Dan a quick kiss before leaving, Cerberus leading the way.

Persephone grabs Dan hand and brings him to the heart of the garden, sitting on a bench with him. “What’s wrong, Dan? You’ve never acted like this before,” she says with a troubled look on her face. Dan sighs and rests his head on Persephone’s shoulder.

“It’s just the evaluations and the things people keep saying about me and my abilities to take the throne. If I fuck up this next evaluation, I’ll be banished and shamed and you and dad will have to have another kid. I’ll be all alone…” Dan says quietly, his voice getting quieter as he starts to cry. Persephone is quick to pull Dan close and rub his back.

“I will love you for the rest of our lives. No amount of shaming can change that,” Persephone says firmly. Dan hugs her tighter when she says that, sniffling.

“I know that, but dad is not going to have the reaction and that’s… That’s what terrifies me.”

\-------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Phil is cleaning up the mess left by Dan’s breakdown. It’s been 1,600 years that Phil has known Dan, and 600 of those years they’ve been mated, and Dan has never been this anxious. That was usually Phil’s job, but as of late, all of the stress Dan has gone through is turning him into someone that Phil doesn't know. He sighs softly and keeps cleaning. 

Eventually, Dan comes home and storms into his bedroom, fresh tears falling down his face. Phil almost sighs in relief when he sees Dan.

“ _ Mellītum, _ ” Phil says, hoping the term of endearment will help calm Dan down. It does the exact opposite however, causing Dan to snap and glare at Phil.

“Don’t,” he says weakly, but with enough venom that Phil backs off a bit. 

“I changed your bedding and cleaned up. You get some rest, yeah?” Phil says softly, watching as Dan got into bed and curled up in a ball. Phil sits next to him and rubs his back, sighing softly. “We’ll be okay, Dan. I promise.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of the stress has been building over the weeks and Phil has grown tired of it. Dan is closed off and cold towards everyone. When Phil confronts Dan about his behavior which ends in the worst fight they've had in years. Will they be able to bounce back from this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be sporadic but there will be at least one chapter up a week. Enjoy!

The evaluations have finally ended, but Dan’s constant anxiety and lashing out hasn’t. He hasn’t been himself in weeks and it’s starting to get to Phil and Persephone. He’s become cold and closed off, almost completely ignoring Phil. Phil, growing tired of Dan’s behavior, came to the castle to confront Dan.

“Dan? You in there?” Phil asks as he knocks on the door. 

“Come in,” Dan  mumbles, hardly loud enough for Phil to hear, not even bothering to look up from his work. Phil walks into the room and sighs when he see Dan working.

“Can you take a break for a bit so we can talk? It’s important,” Phil says as he walks over to Dan, running a hand through his hair. 

“Can’t it wait? I’m busy,” Dan mutters, continuing to work at a frantic pace.

“No, it can’t. Something’s wrong and I need to know what it is so I can help you, Dan. I’m tired of you ignoring me like this.” Phil sits on the edge of Dan’s desk, crossing his arms.

Dan just rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “First off, nothing is wrong. Second, what makes you think you can just come in here and demand I talk to you about something that isn’t even a problem?” He asks, glancing over at Phil for the first time since he’s been in the room.

“I’m your mate, Dan, stop acting like I can’t tell when you’re not okay. You acting like this is hurting me. Something is wrong and I’m going to find out what it is before I leave this room.” That seems to set something off in Dan, making him stand up and start walking towards the door.

“If something is actually wrong, I’ll tell you, and there isn’t. I’m leaving before I do something stupid,” Dan says, opening the door. Phil is in front of him in barely a second, stopping him from leaving.

“Don’t you even think about leaving this room until you tell me what’s going on,” Phil growls, towering over Dan. Dan clenches his teeth and glares at Phil.

“Don’t start a fight you won’t be able to win, Phil. Just let me leave.” 

Phil shakes his head, stepping forward and chuckling darkly. “Do you honestly think that I’m scared of a demon that dresses like a flower?” He knows it’s a low blow, but he’s so tired and angry that he can’t find it in himself to feel guilty at the moment.

Dan’s reaction isn’t immediate, the words not really hitting him until a moment of dead silence passes. He stares at Phil with wide eyes that quickly fill with tears, but he blinks them away and shakes his head. 

“You asked for this, ashole,” Dan says as he pushes Phil with all the strength he has, watching him hit the wall across from them so hard he leaves a dent in the bricks. He uses the chance to escape, hoping Phil won’t try to catch up to him. Phil just stares as Dan runs down the halls of the castle, at a loss. How the fuck was he going to fix this? He sighs and slowly stands up, making his way back to his castle to fix himself up and calm down.

Meanwhile, Dan is back in the forest, sitting in a clearing and crying his eyes out. He couldn’t help but feel pathetic as his father’s words rang through his head.  _ “Crying makes you weak, son. Grow up.” “Crying is for the women and the weak. Real men stay powerful and suck it up.” _ Dan sobs harder, curling up in a ball and pulling his hair. He’s so overwhelmed and he can’t help but take it out on everyone else. He completely shut out the few people that cared and hurt Phil in so many ways. How can he even begin to ask for forgiveness?

Eventually, Dan falls asleep in the clearing, Persephone and Cerberus finding him and bringing him home. Persephone tucks him into bed, knowing Dan will have to figure this out on his own.

Phil is making his way back home, all of the creatures that favour Dan attacking him as he leaves the castle. With the pain he’s feeling, he doesn’t even bother to try to fight them off; he’d heal eventually. He sighs and finally gets home, ignoring his mothers’ worried looks as he goes to his part of the castle. He should probably eat or at least drink something to help get his energy up, but he can’t bring himself to. With all of the thoughts racing in his mind he can hardly do anything but stare at the wall. That was the first physical fight they had had in thirty years. Sure, in perspective thirty years wasn’t a long time for them, it had been something. Phil sighs, rubbing his eyes and hoping this won’t affect their bond. The only hope he has is the fact that in the brief moment that Dan had touched his chest, he felt his heart start to beat, but that wasn’t enough proof that they’d be okay. At any given moment their bond could break because of Dan’s anger and behavior, which will leave Phil in agony for weeks. All Phil could do was try to fix things and hope that this won’t end terribly.

Dan wakes up the next day not ready for the day ahead of him. He has another meeting scheduled to discuss who he will pick to rule with him. He still wants to choose Phil, but he’s even more hesitant to after the fight they just had. He takes a deep breath and gets up, getting dressed to go to the training room to blow off some steam.

Once he gets to the training room, he doesn’t see Phil, making him breathe a sigh of relief. There are many people he knows in the room. Old friends and partners that stopped talking to him after the people created an uproar about him taking the throne. It pisses him off more, but he tries not to let it get to him, walking to the track to run for a while and calm down. His plans to calm down however when he sees Phil is outside working out. He quietly watches him, seeing the scars from past battles and the new ones he assumes he got from the gargoyles that guard Dan’s room. There’s a massive bruise across his back from hitting the wall, making Dan’s breath hitch. It looked worse than he thought it would. He tears his gaze away from Phil, walking over to the track and starting to run as fast as he can.

Phil notices Dan and quickly gets on the track as well, easily catching up to Dan who’s already slightly out of breath.

“What do you need, Phil?” Dan asks, seeming irritated and exhausted.

“I just wanted to apologize. What I said the other day about how you look was terrible and I shouldn’t have said it. I was just upset because you’ve been avoiding me lately and I’m worried about you. The way you’re acting is sort of scaring me,” Phil confesses, glancing over at Dan.

Dan is at a loss for words, completely unsure of how to approach this. How can he tell Phil the reason he’s avoiding him is because he wants to ask him to be king of the Underworld with him? “I swear it isn’t anything you should worry about. I just have a lot going on right now and there’s a lot riding on my shoulders. I’m just really overwhelmed and I just need the time to figure everything out. I promise I love you still and you won’t lose me or our bond or anything for that matter.”

Phil nods, relaxing slightly. “Okay. Just know I’ll be right here if you need me, yeah?” He stops running before Dan can answer, watching him continue to run. 

Dan thinks hard as he runs. How should he do this? Should it be formal and perfectly planned? Should they get married first? He leaves the track and runs to find his mother. She’s the only person he can think of asking for advice about this. She always knows what to do.

Phil heads home as well, going to his room and finding the ring box he’s had hidden in his dresser for years now. He decides that no matter how risky it may be, he’s finally going to put his plan into action and propose to Dan. He just hopes this doesn’t completely backfire on him and destroy the best thing he’s ever had.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades is fed up with his son's relationship and gives Dan a choice: leave Phil for good and marry a woman that he has deemed worthy for Dan, or stay with Phil and leave behind everything he's known and worked for with no hope of being able to return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy fuck yall I'm so sorry this took so long but I had finals and some family shit happen, but here's 2,000ish unedited words more of this wreck. Chapter 4 is in the works as well so it'll probably get posted either today or in a few days. Enjoy!

“Please tell me you are not even considering asking that Philip boy to rule with you. People doubt you enough as is, Daniel,” Hades says as he frowns at is son. Dan crosses his arms and shrugs.

“So what if I was? He’s capable, loyal, has the perfect attitude to rule, and not to mention he’s been my mate for 6,000 years. Who else would I want to choose?” 

“There are plenty of others. In fact, I wanted to talk to you because I found you a wonderful girl that is--” Hades is quickly cut off by Dan standing up and growling.

“Why can’t you just accept me? Literally every god, demigod, goddess, and pretty much everyone else isn’t straight! There are plenty of others that are like me and are just as powerful, if not more so! I get it, you wanted me to be like you, but that isn’t how it played out! I can’t choose any of this and you know that, so why can’t you just at least tolerate it?” Dan yells, staring down at his father. He tries not to let the tears fall, refusing to cry and look weak. Hades stands up as well, towering over Dan.

“I did not raise a pansy. You will listen to me as your father and the ruler of this land. Do not forget your place. I can easily have you and that bloodsucker exiled and have a new heir to this throne.” Hades says, glaring down at Dan.

“Y-You wouldn’t…” Dan stutters, looking up at Hades with wide eyes. 

“I can and I would. Now leave, and don’t even think about talking to me until you’ve come to your senses,” Hades says coldly, leaving the room. Dan stands there in his father’s study in shock. This is it. He has to choose between being respected and able to see his family or his happiness and his mate. He takes a deep breath and gathers himself enough to leave the castle.

Phil is walking around the forest, trying to keep his mind off his life which seems to be falling apart. He sighs and sits in a clearing, taking the little velvet box out of his pocket. He sighs softly and looks at the intricate twist and turns of the  [ silver ring ](https://images.discovered.us/images/photos/000/126/491/product_main/il-570xn-809664338-5n34.jpg?1478010409) , a beautiful gem in the center. He carries it with him always, never knowing when the opportunity to use it will present itself. 

Dan goes straight to the forest once he leaves the castle, running before Cerberus can see him leave and alert his parents. He runs and runs until he can’t anymore, eventually coming to a stop in a clearing and falling to his knees as he tries to catch his breath. He coughs a few times, his chest heaving, but all he could care about was being as far from the castle as possible. 

Phil looks up when he sees movement out of the corner of his eye, seeing Dan fall to his knees and start coughing. He quickly puts the ring away and hesitantly makes his way over to Dan, not sure if his presence welcome. 

“Dan..?” Dan jumps when he hears his name, looking up and seeing Phil. A fresh wave of tears hit and he lets out a weak sob. 

Phil immediately sits next to Dan, pulling him into his arms and doing his best to comfort him.

“What happened? Was it your father again?” Phil asks quietly, gently tilting Dan’s head up so he can wipe the tears off his face. 

“He’s getting  _ worse _ , Phil. He’s threatening to exile  _ both _ of us now if I don’t do what he wants. I don’t have a choice anymore. You don’t deserve to be exiled just because you’re my mate.”

“I feel like I shouldn’t have to tell you that I wouldn’t care if I got exiled if it meant that you got the chance at happiness and the life you deserve, Dan. Do what will make you happy, even if it means I have to deal with the consequences with you. That’s kind of the whole point of us being mated, y’know,” Phil says, looking down at Dan with a small smile. Dan sniffles and hugs Phil tighter.

Dan is quiet for a moment, taking a couple deep breaths. “Can we go to your place? I don’t want Cerberus to find me if he notices I’m missing.” Dan stands up, helping Phil up as well.

“Of course. Let’s go to my mums’; they’ve been dying to see you again.” Phil smiles, the two of them walking in comfortable silence to Phil’s parents’ house. They took the long route in order to avoid the castle and the village. Dan didn’t need the word to get out that he was sneaking around with Phil.

The two arrived to the Lesters’ house, greeted by two very bubbly women ushering them inside.

“It’s been ages, Dan! Have you grown?” “Is Phil remembering to give you the time of day? He’s so forgetful. Just like his mother.” “You forget your anniversary one time and you can never live it down.” “It was a big milestone, Adoni.”

Dan and Phil watched as Phil’s mums playfully bickered, just as in love as they’ve always been. Dan hopes that if everything works out he and Phil will turn out like them.

“Anyways, ignore Kassiopeia; she’s just bitter I forgot our 30,000th wedding anniversary last year. It’s nice to see you again, Dan. We know life has been hectic for you.” Adoni smiles sadly, resting a comforting hand on Dan’s shoulder. Dan puts in the extra effort to only shrug with his other shoulder, needing the comfort.

“It’s alright. It’s just my father, mainly, but I’ll be okay.” Dan tacks on a quiet “hopefully” at the end of his sentence.

“You’ll always have a place here if it ends up going south,” Kassiopeia says, getting up to make them all some tea.

Phil wraps his arm around Dan’s waist and kisses his temple. “It’ll all work itself out. I promise.”

Dan leans into Phil and sighs softly. “I really hope it does.”

Eventually, Dan has to go back to the castle. His father and mother all waiting for him, his father looks disappointed and his mother looks apologetic.

“We know you left with that vampire to do god knows what. You may think that because you are nearing 30,000 that you definitely have free reign over your life, but you don’t. You are a prince and you shall be held to a higher standard. I will not have my child tarnishing my family’s reputation. You are not to leave this castle until you agree to marry a woman that I have deemed worthy,” Hades says firmly, Persephone glancing up at him before shaking her head slightly.

“You can still help me in the gardens, though. Come on; there’s a lot of new seeds that I need to plant that I got from the market.” Persephone walks over to Dan, giving him a small, sad smile as they make their way towards the gardens.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

“16,000 years I’ve been with Phil and he just expects me to leave him? Doesn’t he understand how a physical bond works? I can’t just say ‘hey, I’m breaking up with you’ and it’ll be done! I love him and I want to have him by my side through my reign and afterwards! Why does he have to be such a prick?” Dan rants, pacing through the garden while Persephone tends to the plants. 

“Your father has always been like this, Dan. He was like this when I brought up the fact that I’m not straight. If I wasn’t his wife and the only woman willing to deal with his shit, he probably would have cast me aside already.” Persephone sighs and angrily stabs at the dirt with her shovel. “Your father is an asshole, but when he’s not being rude and self-centered he’s actually not half bad,” she says with a small shrug. “Get Phil over here and talk to him. Your father is busy in a meeting so it’ll buy you some time to explain all of your father’s bullshit,” she tells Dan, kissing his forehead and standing up. “I’ll let you know when your father is near.” She leaves the gardens and goes into the castle, leaving Dan to have a bit of freedom.

Dan quickly runs as fast as he possibly can to Phil’s house, greeted by his mothers at the front door.

“Dan! Phil’s upstairs if you need him,” Kassiopeia says, letting Dan in. Dan quickly says a ‘thank you,” while running upstairs and bursting into Phil’s room.

“I don’t have any time to explain here but I need you to come back to my place so I can explain everything that’s happened. My dad will kill me if he notices I’m gone,” Dan rushes out, still trying to catch his breath.

“Come on, then. He’s probably got a guard looking for you already.” Phil gets up and grabs Dan’s hand, the two running back to Dan’s place. They stay in the gardens, Dan trying to figure out how to explain all of this.

“My dad has decided that I can’t be in a relationship with a man because he’s the only homophobe in all of Greece. He’s got a woman that he’s deemed worthy and wants me to marry her. He’s expecting me to leave you and break our bond because he doesn’t want a gay kid ‘tarnishing his family’s reputation.’ It’s not right, but there’s nothing I can do about it that won’t end in me losing everything and dragging you down with me. I don’t know what to do, Phil. I can’t leave you but I can’t just give up everything either. I’m not allowed to leave the castle until I choose and I’, so lost. What am I supposed to do?” Dan sits down in the middle of the garden, his previous anger dissolving into dejection. Phil sits next to him and grabs his hand, sighing softly.

“Go through with his plans. Talk to the girl and try to figure out a way to have you take the throne and keep your dad happy and you and I can just… Stay in the shadows until he isn’t a threat anymore, then we’ll figure it out from there. Do what you have to do to secure your spot on the throne and don’t worry about me much. We’ll be okay,” Phil says, kissing Dan’s temple and pulling him close. Dan melts into the embrace, looking up at Phil.

“Are you sure about all of that? The last thing I want is to end up hurting you…” Dan says quietly, knowing that this could easily backfire and ultimately destroy their relationship.

“Of course I am. I trust you enough to do this. Plus, what kind of person would I be if I selfishly made you give up your life just so we could be together?” Phil asks rhetorically.

Their conversation is interrupted by Persephone coming back to the gardens and warning them that Hades is coming back from his meeting to make sure Dan is still her and Phil isn’t. Phil stands up, helping Dan up and hugging him tightly. “Go find that girl and talk to her. I’ll come back tonight and check up on you,” Phil says quickly, the two barely having the time to share a kiss and exchange “I love you”s before Phil has to leave.

“Your father isn’t in a good mood, so be careful with him, yeah?” Persephone says as she starts working in the garden again, Dan helping out so it looks like that’s all they’ve been doing. Dan can’t help but feel a bit sick at the thought of what he’s about to do.

Hades shows up a few moments later, a scowl on his face as he walks through the gardens and finds Dan and Persephone. “So, Daniel, have you thought about what I’ve told you?” he asks, his arms crossed behind his back.

“Actually, I have, father,” he says, taking a deep breath and glancing at his mother’s concerned face before he turns to his father. “I’ll agree to rule alongside the woman you have picked out for me. I have one condition, though. We do not marry until the both of us feel we are ready to. Whether it be before or after I take the throne,” Dan says, not willing to budge on this. He watches as his father smirks and chuckles like he’s won.

“I knew you just needed a push to come to your senses. Come with me and I’ll introduce you to each other.” Hades turns on his heel, walking back into the castle with Dan following behind. Dan tries to ignore the small sob his mother lets out as they walk away.

Dan is led to a room on the far end of the castle, far from his own room. Inside is a woman around his age reading in a chair by the window.

“Elpis. My son here has come to the decision to marry you. I would like for the two of you to get acquainted with each other before the coronation,” Hades says with a smile, pushing Dan into the room and closing the door behind him. Dan waits until he can’t hear anymore footsteps before he starts speaking.

“I don’t want to marry you,” he blurts out, Elpis looking hurt and offended. “It’s not because of you! I’m just not straight and I’ve already got a mate of my own but my father is forcing me to be with you or my mate and I will be exiled and I’m so sorry but you have to help me. You’re my last hope of a chance at not having to leave my mate,” Dan says in a rush, a pleading look in his eyes as he watches the emotions flitter across Elips’ face. The looks range from anger to pity to sadness, but eventually the look on her face settles on one of determination.

“What do I have to do?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Elpis have joined together in hopes to secure Dan's place on the throne and Phil's place as Dan's mate, but little do they know, while they make their plans, Phil is captured and thrown in the dungeons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help but write this chapter while I have the motivation to write and holy heck does this get dark.

With Dan agreeing to marry Elpis, the date for his coronation is set in two weeks time. The two are thrown into a whirlwind of interviews, suit and dress fittings, and plans to keep Dan and Phil together after Dan takes the throne. Dan can’t help but feel guilty for not telling Phil that he needs to pick someone to rule with him, and as far as everyone else is concerned that person is Elpis.

“This is so ridiculous. Five interviews in a week! Do the people really want to know about us that badly?” Elpis whines, laying on her bed as Dan paces the room, still worked up about the questions the people had for him and Elpis and their “relationship.”

“It’s not as bad as when they were trying to make sure I was a perfect fit for the throne, though. Still, it pisses me off. Especially the shit they ask you! They do know that you’re not just a pretty face and that if you were going to rule with me you’d be just as important as me?” Dan rants, Elpis chuckling softly.

“You’re going to make a good king, Dan. Phil is lucky as hell to have you,” she says, looking over at Dan. Dan gives her a small smile and stops his pacing, sitting at the edge of the bed.

“I think I’m the lucky one here. Not many people would agree to, let alone suggest, what we’re doing… Speaking of Phil, let’s work on our plan a bit, yeah? I’m thinking we play along until I’m crowned as king, then before we’re arranged to get married and you become crowned as queen, I’ll marry Phil and he becomes king alongside me. That way my father can’t do anything because he will no longer be in power. Of course that won’t stop him from trying to do something, but he’s not as strong as he used to be, and he certainly won’t be strong enough to do anything serious after he is no longer in power,” Dan says, having everything figured out after thinking about it for the past few days. This plan should be as close to foolproof as it can get.

“It sounds good to me. As long as Hades doesn’t find out about our plans or get suspicious, we should be fine. The only thing you really have left to do to make sure this goes smoothly is talk to your mother and Phil about the plan.” Elpis sits up, watching as Dan runs his hand through his hair and let out a shaky breath.

“Yeah… We’ll be fine…” he says quietly, trying to convince himself that that was the truth. Elpis took pity on him and reached out to him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

“You know, my name means hope. It seems a little but more fitting now than it did when I was younger. My mom told me that I’d bring someone a sense of hope and strength, and I’ll admit that this isn’t really what I had in mind, but I’m glad it’s you that I’m helping. You deserve it,” Elpis says honestly, not expecting Dan to react the way he does. He tackles her in a hug, shocking her for a moment and making her freeze up. She hugs back when she hears his quiet sobbing and repeated “thank you”s. She smiles softly and rubs his back, hoping that everything plays out how they planned.

\-------------------------------------------------

On the opposite side of the castle, three guards are forcing their newest prisoner into the dungeon. The king had told them to be on the lookout for a vampire by the name of Philip that may try to get into the castle, They had captured him just before he could make it into the castle through the gardens. They pushed him down into the dark, damp room, his bones making sickening cracking sounds as he fell down the stone stairs. They slammed the door shut and locked it, off to tell the king the good news.

\-------------------------------------------------

Phil didn’t know how long he had been unconscious. The room around him was pitch black and windowless, giving him no clue as to what time it had been. He had foolishly hoped he’d be able to avoid the guards, but he had quickly gotten caught. He tried to sit up, the bones that hadn’t quite healed yet aching in protest. He groaned in pain, knowing all he could do was hope that Dan would find him.

Dan didn’t know Phil was missing for days, too busy preparing for his coronation. It wasn’t until he went to visit Phil and his mothers that he found out he was missing. Kassiopeia and Adoni were distraught, fearing the worst when Phil didn’t come back after telling them that he was going to visit Dan.

“My father must have had the guards stay on the lookout for him. I swear to you that I’ll free him. I won’t let him suffer any longer than he absolutely has to,” Dan promised, quickly leaving and making his way back to the castle. He went straight to his mother, knowing if anyone could help it would be her.

“There’s nothing I can do, Dan. I’m so sorry, sweetheart, but you know your father controls the prisoners. I… I can try to sneak him messages for you, though. Maybe convince your father to let him live if he decides he wants to kill him, but I doubt he will. I’ll visit the dungeon tonight, okay? I’ll tell him of your plans and make sure he has what he needs to stay alive. There isn’t much else that can be done until you’re in power, I’m afraid.” Persephone sighs, running a hand through her hair. 

“He just has to stay alive for the next week and three days. Once I’m in power I’ll release him and go through with the rest of my plans. I hope they don’t torture him like the others…” Dan shudders at the thought of Phil being forced to fight with the other prisoners, being beat and tortured for the entertainment of the rest of the kingdom.

“He’ll pull through, Dan. You and I know he will,” Persephone says like she truly believes it. Dan is grateful for her being strong for him, giving her a hug before wandering back to his room. All he can do now is wait.

Meanwhile, Phil is being drug out of his cell and taken to a fighting ring. Among the spectators is Hades, an evil smirk on his face as he watches Phil be pit against prisoner after prisoner until he’s almost about to pass out. Hades doesn’t let him die however, instead watching him be taken back to the dungeon. He follows the guards and helps them strap Phil to a table, sitting back in a chair and telling all of the guards to leave.

“So, Philip, you’re the one that tried to corrupt my son. It didn’t work, you know. He’s happy with a woman, now. A fine girl his age that will do just fine to make him look good as a king. They’ll be married son, but it’s a shame you won’t be there to see it. I think I’ll keep you alive just long enough to break that stupid bond you two have. I’ll enjoy watching the pain you’ll go through as he promises himself to another while there’s nothing you can do about it.” Hades chuckles darkly and stands up, leaving Phil in the dark room while the screams and cries of the other prisoners never end. He tries not to let himself go crazy at the smell of all the blood, trashing on the table to no avail. He refused to give up hope. Dan wouldn’t leave him and let him die down here. He couldn’t.

Dan paced in his room for the remainder of the day, Elpis checking up on him and making him eat before she let him have his space. He waited and waited for his mother to come back and tell him she had talked to Phil. He was scared to find out what shape Phil was in after everything he father was surely putting him through. 

Eventually, Persephone walks into Dan’s room, making him sit down as she tells him about what’s happening.

“He’s… There’s a lot of fresh blood down there and it’s driving him a little mad, but I made sure he had some to drink in hopes it’ll keep him alive and as sane as possible. I don’t know how long he’ll make it down there…” Persephone sighs, not looking at Dan so she doesn’t see the tears gather in his eyes. “Just… We can only do what we can. If he gets too bad, I’ll make sure you can see him before he…” she trails off, not wanting to finish her sentence.

“I’m… I’m going to go out to the gardens and think…” Dan stands up, quickly walking out of the room and walking out to the gardens. He falls to his knees in the middle of a patch of flowers, sobbing and covering his mouth with his hand. How could this have all come to this? How did him being the heir to the throne lead to his mate being captured and tortured and eventually killed? Was there any hope that Phil would get out of the dungeons alive? Dan hopes and hopes and hopes that Phil will hold on until Dan can do something to get him out of there.

Elpis eventually comes into the gardens looking for him, sitting next to him and holding him as he cries. She wishes there is something she could do, but she has no one that she can contact after her father sold her off to be married to Dan.

“He’ll be okay. We’ll get him out of there, Dan. You can’t let yourself believe that he might die,” she says sternly, rubbing Dan’s back gently.

“But what if he doesn’t make it out of there alive? What if my father does something and we’re never going to be the same again? What if our bond breaks, Elpis? We wouldn’t be able to fix it and this would have all been for nothing!” Dan sobs, clinging to Elpis in a desperate search for comfort. 

“We will figure it out. I will not let him die no matter what it takes. I promise you that he’ll come out of this alive and still your mate,” Elpis promises, the same look of determination on her face as the first day they met. Dan lets himself believe her, nodding and trying to calm himself down.

“Okay...He’ll be okay.” Dan takes a deep breath and wipes his eyes. “He’ll be okay.” He nods to himself, leaning against Elpis and closing his eyes. The two had grown close over the past four days, bonding over their mutual bitterness towards the things they were being forced to do. Elpis being gay as well led to Dan immediately warming up to her. It felt wonderful to have someone else he could vent to about shitty, homophobic parents.

They only go back inside when it gets too cold outside for even some of the plants. There’s an eerie chill that settles across the land, and Dan doesn’t think it’s a coincidence.

\-------------------------------------------------

Phil stares at the ceiling, wondering if he’ll ever make it out of here. Hades is merciless and willing to kill him at the drop of a hat. What makes him think he’ll survive? He clings onto the few sentences Persephone had said to him when she came down to visit him.

_ You have more people than you think coming to help you. You will make it out of this alive. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Hades planning to keep Phil alive just long enough for Dan and Elpis to get married, is there anything that can be done to save him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's 12:52am and i can hardly form a coherent sentence after finishing this chapter lmaoooo

Over the course of the next four days, Dan, Elpis, and Persephone try to work out a plan to free Phil. There are only six days until Dan’s coronation and Phil’s mental and physical health is making a fast decline. The only thing keeping him alive is Persephone making sure he’s fed and healing the best he can.

“He’s just barely holding on, but I think he’ll make it another few days, hopefully. I think your father is planning to keep him alive long enough to see you and Elpis get married so he can… Well, you know what will happen if you marry her while you’re bonded. It’ll kill him.” Persephone sighs and runs a hand through her hair.

“That gives me an idea…” Elpis says, more to herself than the others as she starts thinking over a plan. “What if we get married the same day you take the throne, but we have someone pose as an officiant for the wedding that isn’t actually qualified or it. We tell Phil about this plan ahead of time, so he pretends that he’s going through the pain of the bond breaking while your father watches. It’s not exactly hard for a vampire to play dead, and your father is frankly not the brightest, so he’ll be none the wiser. That way everyone thinks we’re married and your father thinks Phil is dead and no longer a threat and then you’ll be crowned king and I’ll be crowned queen just long enough for us to free Phil. Once he’s out and safe, we announce our marriage was fake and I’ll obviously not truly be queen which leaves an empty throne for Phil to take once you get married,” she explains her idea, looking at Dan and Persephone and waiting for their reactions.

“That’s… That could actually work out. That’s actually an incredible idea. I’ll go visit Phil and tell him before Hades decides to take him to the fighting grounds again.” Persephone stands up, smiling at Elpis and ruffling Dan’s hair as she leaves.

“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’re doing, Elpis. You have no idea how much this means to me,” Dan says, giving an Elpis a small smile.

“It’s not a problem. I’ll do anything to make sure you and Phil get some sort of justice. Now, let’s work on fine tuning this plan so we can go tell Phil’s mothers about it,” Elpis says, getting a pen and a notebook.

They spend the afternoon working everything down to the very last detail, needing this plan to work without any form of failure. Once everything seems to be in order, they visit Adonis Kalliopeia. The two are grieving over their son’s imprisonment, hope in their eyes when they see Dan and Elpis.

“Please say he’s okay…” Adonis whispers, holding a completely silent Kalliopeia close. Kalliopeia was taking it harder than she was. She had been the one to carry and give birth to Phil, after all.

“He will make it out alive. We have a plan that should work and I’ll be able to get him out of there as soon as possible. We just have to wait until my coronation, then he’ll be free,” Dan promises them, trying to push away the guilt he felt as he looks at the once happy couple. Kalliopeia seems to notice Dan’s guilt, looking over at him.

“Please don’t blame yourself for this, Dan. We both know Phil knew what he was getting into and was aware this might happen. No one is to blame apart from your horrid father and his backwards ways,” she says, her voice going from soft and sad to stern and laced with bitterness. “Now, come here and give me a hug. We both need it.” Kalliopeia stands up, kissing Adonis’ forehead and opening her arms. Dan walks over to her, hugging her tightly and mumbling an apology.

“I tried my best for this not to affect him, but it didn’t work… I’m sorry,” he whispers, Kalliopeia shaking her head and holding him close.

“Don’t focus on that. Let’s just focus on the fact that Phil is alive and will continue to be because of you and Elpis and your mother.”

\-------------------------------------------------

Phil is bordering on the edge of insanity. Hades is subjecting him to mental and physical torture for hours upon hours on end. He takes advantage of the fact that Phil is close enough to being immortal that he won’t die easily. 

“I have to admit, I had originally planned on just killing you, but this is  _ so _ much better.” Hades chuckles, a smug look on his face. Phil growls, his chest heaving.

“You’re a sick twisted piece of shit. Just fucking wait for me to get free, asshole,” Phil says, his voice scratchy and hoarse from thirst and screaming almost non-stop for hours.

“As if,” Hades scoffs. “You’ll die as soon as Dan marries Elpis. I’ll be here to watch it happen, too. You’ll never see the light of day,” Hades says as he stands, smug smirk still on his face. “Enjoy your last few days alive, Philip.”

\-------------------------------------------------

The next day is filled with more preparations. Dan and Elpis have announced their “wedding” will be held after Dan’s coronation, so there is much more that needs to be done. Wedding dress fittings and more suit fittings fill up their schedule, leaving them unable to even think about their plans. Persephone stays in contact with Phil, deciding not to tell Dan of his declining mental and physical state.

Dan works hard on writing several speeches. One for when he accepts the crown, one explaining how he plans to rule, one for his fake wedding with Elpis, and one for the most important moment: when he announces that he and Elpis were never truly married and that he’s choosing Phil as his king. 

The first two are honest and well thought out, the third is a fake proclamation of a romantic love that doesn’t exist, and the fourth is a speech that will change everything in his life. His hands shake as he writes draft after draft of the speech, only relaxing once he feels he perfected what he wants to say.

Elpis is enjoying her life in the castle, finding a mother figure in Persephone and forming an unbreakable bond with Dan. She wanders around the castle often, staying in the library or the gardens to read and find moments of peace in the hectic life she has been thrown into. She longs to meet Phil, wanting to meet the man she has been working to save for the sake of her friend. She listen as Dan tells stories of their times together when the castle has gone silent, smiling softly as Dan waxes poetic about some aspect of Phil or another. She finds herself craving for that kind of love and can’t help but hope and pray that once all of this is over, she can have it.

\-------------------------------------------------

Dan sits in his room alone, his thoughts racing as he thinks about these next five days. He wonders if Phil will be the same, if he’ll still love him after the hell he’s been forced to endure. At times he can feel Phil’s pain, having to hold back tears because he knows it’s pain that’s entirely unbearable. He sighs and lays in his bed, curling up and staring at the empty spot where Phil should be laying. He’s crying before he can even try to will the tears away, ugly sobs pushing passed his lips no matter how hard he clenches his jaw. Phil was stuck alone and in pain in the cold dark dungeon with nothing but the screams of the others to remind him he was alive. It was all Dan’s fault. If he had just let Phil go when he still had the chance he’d be free and not on the verge of death because of Dan. None of this would have happened if Dan hadn’t have been so selfish. Right?

\-------------------------------------------------

Five days until Dan’s coronation and tensions are running high. Between the public and the constant pressure of keeping Phil alive, Elpis, Dan, and Persephone are stressed beyond belief. Phil is miraculously surviving, but it’s looking bleak. One wrong move and he’ll be done for. Persephone keeps this hidden from Dan, though, knowing it would do more harm than good. She loves Dan, but he loves to act on impulse which usually led to failure at whatever he was trying to do. She visits as often as she can, treating Phil’s wounds and getting him food and water. That night she visits him in his cell, gently coaxing him to drink a glass of water. Once he finishes, he looks over at her offers her a weak smile.

“Do me a favor, please. I have a box hidden at my parents house with a ring in it. I was going to use it to propose to Dan, but I… I’d like him to have it now. My mothers know where it is, so just ask them,” Phil croaks out, coughing and whimpering in pain when his ribs start to ache again. He’s sure most of them are broken.

“Of course. I promise you I’ll get the ring to him. I still expect a proper proposal once you’re out of here, though,” she says with a weak smile on her face. Phil does his best to return it, barely clinging to the hope that he’ll survive. 

Persephone leaves once Phil has eaten and fallen asleep, quietly leaving the castle and making her way to Adonis’ and Kalliopeia’s home. She is greeted with an uncharacteristically quiet house with dust building up everywhere.

“Phil told me you two know where he hid the ring he planned to propose to Dan with? He wants Dan to have it in case…” She trails off, unable to finish her sentence. Kalliopeia silently gets up and leaves the room, returning a few moments later with a ring box.

“He spent years planning out he wanted this to look. He went through three different silversmiths before he ended up with a ring he liked,” Kalliopeia says quietly, a barely there sad smile on her face. She hands it over to Persephone, sitting back down next to Adonis and grabbing her hand.

“I promise you that I will make sure your son lives. I’ll visit before Dan’s coronation and let you know how everything is going,” Persephone says as she stands up, clutching the ring box tightly in her hand. Adonis and Kalliopeia thank her as she leaves, hoping they can believe Persephone.

Persephone returns to the castle late at night, going to Dan’s room and gently waking him up.

“Dan, Phil had me get something for you,” she says softly as she shakes Dan’s shoulder. He sits up quickly at the mention of Phil’s name, seemingly wide awake.

“What is it?” he asks, his eyes widening when Persephone hands him the ring box.

“He was going to use this to propose to you, but he wanted to give it to you now. He felt like it was the right time,” Persephone explains, watching as Dan opens up the ring box and gasps quietly at  [ the ring ](https://images.discovered.us/images/photos/000/126/491/product_main/il-570xn-809664338-5n34.jpg?1478010409) inside.

“It’s… It’s so beautiful,” Dan whispers, gently taking the ring out of the box and putting it on. He looks at it on his ring finger, pretending for just a moment that everything was okay and that he and Phil were okay. A few tears fall as he stares at the ring. Persephone pulling him and kissing the top of his head.

“He has to make it out of this alive. He can’t die and leave me alone after everything we’ve been through. He’s still got so much life left to live,” Dan sobs, clinging to Persephone. Persephone sighs softly and rubs his back soothingly.

“He will make it, Dan. As long as you keep believing that he’ll make it, he’ll have the strength to push through. Promise me you won’t let yourself think he’s not going to live through this,” Persephone says, looking down at Dan. Dan glances up at his mother, then at his ring before nodding, feeling more determined than before.

“I promise.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades is getting more violent and Persephone is tired of it. Things get worse when Hades and Persephone get into a fight. What happens when Dan intervenes when it gets to be too much?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is completely unedited and it got very violent and kinda bloody and yeah basically i now have to add character death to the tags

The days have flown by, the entire kingdom in an uproar as they prepare for Dan’s coronation and wedding. Hades is spending his last days as king ignoring everything but the wedding and focusing entirely on making Phil suffer. He’s figured out by now that by hurting Phil just enough, Dan can feel it too. He uses that to his advantage, using it as a cruel form of punishment whenever Dan acts out. Dan quickly catches on and tries his best not to antagonize his father, but it doesn’t take much to set Hades off anymore.

Dan is curled up on his bed, feeling like he’s had the wind knocked out of him and he can’t catch his breath. There’s a deep ache in his back from what he can only assume is metal rod or something similar being used to beat Phil senseless. He’s still lying there before anyone finds him, Persephone walking into his room after he missed dinner, the pain slowly ebbing away but still rendering unable to move more than a few inches. Persephone rushes over to him, gently pulling him into her arms and carries him out to the gardens. She sets him on one of the stone benches and starts gathering as many herbs and flowers as she can that can help. She quickly gets to work, trying not to panic as she listens to her only child cry out in pain and heartache. She starts with a tea first, sitting next to Dan and putting his head in her lap.

“This’ll take the edge off the pain long enough for me to get something stronger made. Then I’m going to kick your father’s ass,” she vows, gently encouraging Dan to take sips of the tea. She lets out a sound akin to a sob once he finally relaxes in her arms. She helps him sit up, the vines that weave through the garden coming to life at her command and helping him stay upright as she works on something else that’ll be stronger and last longer. Her hands shake as she cuts up various ingredients, her voice trembling as she whispers the words to the closely guarded spells she spent years perfecting, but one thing never wavers: her determination to end all of this pain and suffering her son and his mate, who she has come to see as her son as well.

Hades eventually stops torturing Phil, smirking in satisfaction as Phil doesn’t even attempt to move. “You can thank Dan for that. He decided to skip out on two of his interviews today and leave Elpis to be interviewed alone. Hopefully that was enough to teach him a lesson. Good luck healing from that,” Hades says with a chuckles, leaving the cell and locking the door.

Phil lays there, in more pain than he’s ever been in his entire life. He stares at the wall, all hope of being saved slowly leaving. How could he survive this hell for the next three days?

\-------------------------------------------------

Persephone finally finishes the potion and gives it to Dan, helping him drink it as he still isn’t strong enough to lift the cup himself. She saves some of it for Phil, putting it in a small corked vial to give to him when she visits him after Hades is asleep. The potion slowly works its magic and Dan is feeling good as new, well, at least physically. He doesn’t say anything as he stands, hugging his mother before he makes his way back to his room.

Elpis is in his room, tending to the plants as she was the taller of the two of them and the poor things have been neglected due to the hell everyone has been going through for the past two weeks. Dan walks in, hardly sparing her a glance as he sits by the window and stares out at the forest. This certainly wasn’t the first time Hades had hurt Phil bad enough for Dan to feel it, but he had never drug it on for hours like he did this time. The only reassurance Dan got was the fact that the pain had stayed in his back and hadn’t moved to his chest to tell him that their bond had broken. Phil was still alive, but no one knows how close he is to just letting go.

Elpis walks over to Dan, resting her hand on his shoulder in hopes of offering some form of comfort.

“Is… He’s still alive, right?” She finds herself asking, worried that Dan’s silence was caused by Phil’s death. She lets out a sigh of relief when Dan shakes his head.

“My father used his pain to hurt me again… It lasted for hours, Elpis… Even with the stuff my mother gave me, I can still feel the memory of the pain. Phil is still feeling it at the same intensity as I was before the tea and potion. How is he going to make it through these next three days? My father is getting worse and worse and I doubt he’ll let up…” Dan tears his gaze away from the window to look down at the ring on his finger. He tears up, but doesn’t let the tears fall, tired of crying.  “We didn’t even have the chance of getting married or starting a family… Now he may die in a dark, cold, dirty cell because he thought I was worth risking his safety and life for. It’s not right. He doesn’t deserve any of this,” Dan says, barely holding back a whimper as he thinks about all of the things they may never get to do. Elpis does her best to comfort him, leading him away from the window and to the bed so she can hold him as he cries. It’s become normal for them to do this at this point. After interviews and meetings and bouts of intense pain caused by his father beating Phil senseless, Dan needs a shoulder to cry on and more often than not, it’s Elpis. 

Dan is just starting to calm down when a crash shakes the very foundation of the castle. There’s the unmistakable voice of his father yelling and his mother yelling back. Dan shoots up, racing through the halls and trying to follow the sounds of their voices. Elpis follows close behind, almost falling when there’s another crash, this time followed by a cry of pain.

“Mom!” Dan cries out, running down into the dungeon where his parents are fighting. Persephone is pulling herself up when he finally reaches the bottom of the stairs, growling and lunging at Hades. He quickly moves out of the way, Persephone hitting the wall. Fighting had never been her strong point, but there was no way in hell that she’d go down without doing a number on the piece of shit standing before her.

“You’re no match for me, Persephone. Just stop this so we can go back to our normal lives, baby,” Hades says, walking over to Persephone and reaching out for her hand. She looks like she’s going to accept it, but turns on him when she gets the chance, punching him as hard as she can. He cries out and stumbles backwards, Persephone steadying herself and growling.

“Have you forgotten who I am, Hades? I’m just some fragile girl that loves flowers anymore! I am the goddess of the underworld and I will  _ not _ let some god that thinks he’s entitled to me and my body defeat me!” Persephone lunges at Hades again, landing one more punch before he grabs her by the throat and throws her to the ground. 

Dan and Elpis watch from the staircase, Dan frozen in fear as he watches all of this unfold. Elpis feels like she’s about to be sick, covering her hand with her mouth. She watches as Hades towers over Persephone, a dark look on his face as he glares down at Persephone. Persephone is trying to gather herself, incredibly dizzy after her head hit the ground so hard. Hades goes to pick her up which snaps Dan out of his daze.

“Get your hands off my mother, you asshole!” he yells, running towards Hades in a fit of rage. All he sees is red as he starts throwing punches, Hades not hesitating to hit back. Dan fights, quite literally, through the pain, landing a hit that makes Hades fall to the floor. “Elpis! Get my mom out of here! Please!”

Elpis is quick to follow Dan’s orders, helping Persephone up and getting her as far away from the castle as possible. She settles on going to Phil’s mothers’ house, hoping it’ll be a safe place at least for now. Dan keeps fighting with Hades, managing to hit him hard enough to knock him out. Dan pants heavily as he stands up, looking down at his bloody and bruised father. He looks around, finding an empty cell and dragging his body into it. He grabs the cell keys and locks Hades in the cell, putting a spell on it for good measure. It won’t last forever, but hopefully it’ll be long enough for Dan to find Phil and break him out of here. 

“Phil! Phil, where are you!” Dan called out as he walked around the halls of the dungeon. He hoped Phil was conscious enough to hear him and tell him where he was to make this a bit easier, but he’d search every cell if he had to. He wouldn’t leave without Phil. 

Dan was at the very end of the hallway when he heard someone weakly calling his name. He ran to the cell he heard the voice come from, sobbing as he looked at the body curled up on the floor. Dan could hardly see the color of his pale skin due to the bruises that practically covered Phil’s body. He unlocks the door and throws it open, falling to his knees in front of Phil. He pulls Phil into his arms and tries not to put too much pressure on the bruises that litter his skin. Phil weakly wraps his arms around Dan’s neck and sobs with him, his heart coming to life and beating rapidly at the contact. Neither of them can speak, so overwhelmed with emotions that they can do hardly anything but cry.

“I--I have to get you out of here,” Dan sobs out, picking Phil up and trying to ignore how easy it is to pick up someone that’s so much than him. Dan’s tired muscles ache in protest, but he pushes through, carrying Phil up the stairs and out of the dungeon. He brings Phil to the gardens, using the knowledge he’s picked up from watching his mother over the years and making a potion that should hopefully give Phil the strength to get out of here and far away from the kingdom for the time being.

Phil lays on a bench and watches Dan move about the plants, frantically trying to get the potion made. Phil can’t help but start crying silently when he sees the ring that sits on Dan’s ring finger. He wishes he could have properly given the ring to Dan, but at this point he’s just glad he’s alive to see it on his finger. Dan rushes over to him once he finishes the potion, treating Phil like he’d break at any second as he helps him drink the potion.

“This shouldn’t take long to work. Once you feel strong enough, you need to get out of here. Stop by your mothers’ place and get the basics of what you’ll need and then stay at the house your mothers will bring you to until Elpis comes to get you. I’m going to have her stand me up at the wedding so she can go get you and we won't have to go through the wedding,” Dan says quickly, knowing they don’t have much time.

“Why… Why do you have to pretend to marry her in the first place?” Phil asks quietly as he sits up, almost afraid of the answer. Dan is silent, hesitant to explain.

“I… I wish that I didn’t have to tell you this all like this, but I guess… I guess I have no choice. I have to have someone to rule with me, which obviously means I have to marry them so they can become royalty and worthy of the throne. We had to plan the wedding to appease my father and make it possible for me to take the throne without a problem. The wedding would entirely fake so she would pretend to take the throne as queen while I used my power to banish my father and get you out of prison. Then Elpis would announce the wedding was fake and she wasn’t truly the queen which would lead to me doing this properly and asking you to rule with me,” Dan says in a rush, looking behind himself to make sure Hades wasn’t on his way towards them. Phil tries to understand all of it, looking at Dan with wide eyes.

“You… You want me to rule with you?” Phil asks softly, his voice hoarse and full of disbelief. Dan nods quickly and hesitates for a moment before dropping to one knee.

“I know this isn’t the most romantic setting and we’re running on borrowed time, but there is nothing I want more. I know I should have asked sooner and I know I’ve caused you so much pain in these past two weeks, but will you please marry me and rule alongside me for however long that may be?” Dans asks, looking equal parts terrified and hopeful.

“Leave it to you to do something like this,” he says, using the little strength he has to pull Dan into a hug. “Of course I will. There’s nothing that would make me happier.” He pulls away from the hug to cup Dan’s face in his hands. “I love you…” 

“I love you too,” Dan says softly, leaning into Phil’s touch and smiling widely. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his chest and everything feels so  _ right _ , but the moment is ruined by the sound of heavy footsteps and yells of Dan’s name.

“Fuck. You need to get going. Get Cerberus to take you,” Dan says, standing up and calling for the large dog. Phil kisses Dan one last time before he makes he way out of the gardens and to Cerberus. Dan watches as he leaves, only turning around when the footsteps stop.

“You’ve made a foolish mistake, Daniel. I can easily kill you and replace you, yet you choose to rebel against my rules and wishes. I’m going to make you and all of the others pay for plotting against me like this,” Hades says as he makes his way towards Dan. Dan can’t help but feel satisfied when he sees how Hades limps. This would be too easy.

“I can easily kill you too, asshole. So could mom or Phil, hell even Elpis if she’s mad enough. You’re weak and impulsive. As if you’d ever be able to outsmart me,” Dan says with a confident chuckle despite the fear and dread he’s feeling. He hopes that if he plans this right, he’ll be able to win. Hades charges towards him, but Dan is faster, ducking to the side at the last moment and quickly bringing his left leg up to land a hard kick to Hades’ back. Hades growls, hardly faltering, but the pain slows him down slightly.

“Admit defeat, Daniel! You can’t win this!” Hades turns towards Dan, pulling a large dagger out of its sheath, lunging at Dan. Dan tries to move as fast as he can, but he ends up with a large gash on his side. He tries to get through the pain and makes a move to grab the knife, kicking Hades in the gut and reaching out for the knife, Hades stumbles back and drops the knife, kicking it far away so Dan can’t reach it without making himself vulnerable. Dan growls and suddenly the wind picks up, knocking an already unsteady Hades to the ground. He groans in pain, holding his head.

“I won’t let you win, Hades. Not after all the shit you’ve put me and the people I love through.” Dan focuses as hard as he can, hoping the garden will listen to him despite Persephone being there. He feels beyond relieved when the vines crawl towards Hades. Hades tries to fight them off, but they wind themselves around his limbs rendering him defenseless. Dan grabs the knife off the ground and walks towards his father, glaring down at him. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” Dan says as he kneels down next to his father. “Do you have anything to say for yourself before I end your pathetic existence?” he asks, knife held right above Hades’ heart. One single wound by his own knife would be enough to seriously injure Hades, let alone a stab to the heart.

“I wish I knew where your mother and I went wrong with you. Are you actually going to kill your own fa--” Hades is cut off by Dan driving the dagger into his heart, making him gasp and choke on his own breath.

“Good riddance you piece of shit,” Dan says as he watches the life drain out of his father’s eyes. He slowly stands up, the adrenaline leaving and being replaced with a sick feeling of guilt and relief. His hands shake as he backs away from the body in front of him, the vines falling to the ground when Hades’ body turns to dust. Dan leaves as soon as he knows for sure Hades is dead, running as quickly as he can to Phil’s mothers’ house. Tears pour down his face as he runs, sobbing in relief when he sees the house, knocking loudly on the door. Dan is greeted by Adoni pulling him inside and closing the door.

“I killed him. He would have killed me if I didn’t kill him first so I used his dagger to kill him. I  _ killed _ my  _ father _ ,” Dan rambles, shaking and sobbing as he falls to his knees. Persephone quickly rushes downstairs from the room she had been resting in when she hears her son’s voice, pulling him into her arms and holding him tightly.

“Shhhh… You did the right thing, Dan. You did what you had to to survive,” she says firmly, rubbing Dan’s back soothingly. 

“I’m so sorry… I’m so so sorry,” Dan sobs, clinging to his mother for dear life. Adoni, Kassiopeia, and Elpis sitting with them and offering their comfort. They’re all stunned into silence after hearing the news that Hades had died at the hands of his own son. No one had expected Hades to get so violent and angry that Dan would be driven to kill him.

“Where’s Phil? I need Phil. Someone  _ please _ get Phil,” Dan begs through his sobbing, whimpering when Elpis pulls away from him to get Phil. His whole body aches from the fighting and his side is still bleeding. Adoni leaves to get bandages and supplies to clean the wound. Persephone helps Dan lay down and take off the blood soaked shirt. She sits with Dan’s head in her lap, wiping away his tears and talking softly to him as Adoni cleans and bandages his wound. Phil and Elpis come running into the house just as Adoni finishes with the bandages.

“Phil?” Dan sits up quickly, crying out at the pain in his side, Phil winces as he feels a twinge of pain from Dan’s wound. He rushes over to Dan, gently picking him up and pulling him close.

“I’m here, mellītum. We’re okay,” Phil says in a soft voice, sitting on the sofa and rubbing Dan’s back. Dan curls up in Phil’s arms and cries into his chest, comforted by the sound of Phil’s heart starting to beat. Phil looks around the room at everyone, all of them sharing the same look of concern and uncertainty. The silent question hangs in the air:

**_What happens next?_ **


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades' death has thrown a wrench into their plans and now they must find a way to cope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so tired so the summary sucks ass but yknow. sorry for taking so long to update i havent slept right in a week so i havent exactly had the motivation to do anything. only one more chapter and then the epilogue after this!

Hiding the death of the king a mere two days before his son is supposed to take the throne is proving to be nearly impossible. Not to mention the fact that it was his son that caused his death in the first place.

“We have to tell them,” Persephone says after hours of trying to figure out how to go about this. Dan tenses up and shakes his head quickly, trying to object to the idea, but Persephone stops him before he can speak. “We’ll lie, Dan. Did you honestly think I’d sell out my own son?” she asks rhetorically, resting her hand on Dan’s shoulder. “We’ll say a prisoner escaped and Hades was unguarded and unprepared. We’ll distract everyone with your coronation and wedding,” Persephone explains, Dan visibly relaxing. Elpis pipes up at that, everyone looking over at her.

“About the wedding, should we still go through with our original plan? If the people have any problems with Dan marrying Phil, they can’t exactly do anything other than complain since Hades isn’t alive to have another heir,” Elpis says, looking over at Dan and Phil. “I want you two to be able to get married as soon as possible. You deserve it after almost losing each other.” 

“Fuck the original plan. I’ll officiate the wedding myself and we’ll expose your father as the piece of shit he was when we explain why you’re suddenly marrying a different person,” Persephone says, sounding drained and looking tired and weak. “We’ll go back to the castle tomorrow and I’ll work on helping Phil get his strength up. Then, we’ll call the tailor and work out the rest of the details when we have the energy to. In short, I’m tired of waiting to see my son marry Phil and I’m sure all of you can agree. Now, let’s all ignore the hell that has been happening and relax for a while. I’m going to take a nap. Come get me if you need me,” she says as she gets up and makes her way to the guest room. 

“I could use a nap too,” Kassiopeia says with a yawn. “I need to catch up on my sleep now that I can.” She stands and starts walking away, Adoni following her to their shared bedroom. 

Elpis, Dan, and Phil all sit in silence for awhile, not really sure what to say. Dan is the first to break the silence, standing up and running a hand through his hair.

“I feel like taking a walk to clear my head. I need… I need some time alone to think about everything,” he says, giving Phil a quick kiss and Elpis a small smile before he leaves the house. Elpis sighs as he leaves, looking over at Phil.

“So… It’s nice to finally meet you,” Elpis says quietly, a weak smile on her face. “Wish it had been under better circumstances, though.” She sighs, leaning forward and resting her head in her hands. “I’m so glad you’re free. Dan was starting to scare me, honestly. I thought… I almost thought we’d lose him right along with you,” she says, her voice cracking as she finally lets herself break down. She couldn’t cry while Dan was here; she needed to be strong for him. Phil moved closer to her, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

“He’ll be okay. Dan is so much stronger than he may seem. He probably won’t be okay for a long time, but that’s what he’s got us for, right?” Phil says with a half smile, looking down at Elpis. Elpis lifts her head to look at him, smiling as the tears stream down her face and nodding.

“Yeah. He’ll always have us…” Elpis takes a moment to gather herself, wiping her eyes. “He really loves you, y’know? He was closed off and never smiled while you were locked away, but whenever he talked about you he… I don't know how to describe it with words, honestly. He had this look in his eyes that was so passionate and filled with love. I’ve never seen him happier than when he’s talking about you,” she says, a small smile on her face. Phil smiles softly, subconsciously reaching up to touch the bond mark that sits proudly on his shoulder.

“It feels good to know that he still loved me through all of that. I was so terrified our bond would break…” Phil says, trailing off into silence and his smile fades slightly. “I know he must have gone through so much pain because of our bond. He had to feel the worst of my pain,” he says quietly, looking over at the door Dan walked out of. Elpis pats his back gently and stays quiet for a moment, trying to find the right words.

“He accepted every second of the pain. It hurt him, yes, but I can’t tell you how many times he denied something for the pain because he wanted to make sure you were alive. He was so brave through it all and never once thought of himself. He only worried about you,” she tells Phil, smiling when she sees him perk up a bit. 

“He’s always been so strong,” Phil says, a proud look on his face. “I’m so glad to have him back in my arms. Thank you for taking care of him when I couldn’t. It means a lot to me,” Phil says truthfully as he looks over at Elpis. Elpis shrugs and smiles sheepishly, looking at her lap.

“It’s not a big deal; I’d do anything for someone in need,” she says, leaning back and sinking into the sofa cushions.

“It still means a lot to me. I would have died if you hadn’t have kept Dan alive,” Phil says seriously, beyond grateful that Elpis was there for Dan. Elpis looks over at Phil and offers him a small smile and a “you’re welcome.” They sit in a comfortable silence after that, enjoying being able to relax and just breathe without fear. Dan returns some time later, immediately going over to Phil and curling up in his lap.

“I’m so tired. I want to forget this all this happened,” Dan says, sounding like he’s about to cry at any moment, but he doesn’t think he can cry anymore. He buries his face in the crook of Phil’s neck and takes a few breaths, trying not to get to worked up again. Phil rubs his back gently and kisses the top of his head. Dan relaxes at the touch, hugging Phil tightly. “Let’s go up to your room; I wanna talk,” Dan says, wrapping his legs around Phil's waist as he picks him up. Phil gives Elpis a sad smile and takes Dan up to his room.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Phil asks as he slays on his bed, keeping Dan held tightly in his arms. Dan shrugs in response, looking up at Phil.

“It’s just… Everything is so overwhelming and happening so quickly. Like a month ago we were fighting and hardly talking to each other, then you were captured and tortured by my father just up until yesterday, and now we’re… We’re getting married and planning to rule an entire  _ kingdom _ together. I’m having a bit of trouble processing it all, y’know?” Dan says softly, looking down at his ring and smiling slightly. “Not to say I’m not happy with it all or anything. I just never really expected that this would really happen,” he says honestly, shrugging.

“I… I didn’t think I’d live to see us get married towards the end up of my imprisonment. That’s why I had your mother give you the ring. I didn’t want to die knowing you didn’t get it,” Phil says, his voice getting quieter as he speaks. He subconsciously pulls Dan closer, not wanting to let go of him again. He tries to push aside the memories of the hell he was put through, but it’s all he can focus on. The thoughts of dying and losing Dan floods his mind make him feel anxious enough to start feeling sick. He sits up and gently sets Dan aside before racing towards the bathroom. Dan stays on the bed, confused, until he hears Phil vomiting. He gets up and rushes to the bathroom, falling to his knees behind Phil. He rubs Phil’s back as he gets sick, wincing as he starts to dry heave.

Once Phil is sure he won’t vomit again, he flushes the toilet and wraps his arms around himself, shaking slightly as he starts to cry. Dan gets up and gets Phil a glass of water, helping him take a few sips.

“What’s wrong, matia mou? Do you feel like you’re coming down with something?” Dan asks, feeling Phil’s forehead to check for a fever. Phil shakes his head and sighs shakily.

“I had a flashback to being in the dungeon and I remembered how hopeless I felt and how painful it was to just stay alive. The memories are still so fresh…” Phil trails off, letting out a quiet sob. Dan pulls him close and rubs his back gently.

“It’s okay. You’re out of there and you’re safe with us. I won’t let anyone so much as look at you wrong ever again,” Dan vows, trying to sound strong, but his voice wavers as Phil sobs. They sit on the floor like that for some time, Dan doing his best to comfort Phil. 

Eventually Phil feels okay enough to go back to his room, standing up and helping Dan up as well. They make their way back to Phil’s room and lay down together, Dan’s head tucked under Phil’s chin.

“I’m sorry that all of this happened to you and I’m sorry that so shortly after it all happened you’ll have to go through the stress of having a very public wedding and the whole coronation thing. I know it isn’t exactly ideal.” Dan sighs, pressing his hand against Phil’s chest and closing his eyes, focusing on the feeling of Phil’s heart beating.  _ He’s alive and here with me and he’ll be okay. He’ll be okay. _

“Don’t worry about it. I’d rather this happen as soon as possible than wait. I’ve been waiting to marry you for thousands of years, Dan, I don’t want to wait any longer,” Phil says, kissing Dan’s temple. “Besides, who says we couldn’t have our own little private ceremony later on? It’ll just be me you, our mothers, Elpis, and Cerberus can wear a giant bow tie,” he jokes, trying to lighten up the mood. Dan chuckles softly and looks up at Phil, smiling brightly.

“I’d like that… A ceremony just for us. I have to admit, I am excited for the wedding we’ll have before the coronation; I get to show you off to the whole kingdom! I’ve been tired of having to hide you away from everyone for the past 16,000 years. It’s about time everyone finds out about you,” Dan says, closing his eyes. Hiding Phil from the entire kingdom and every god and goddess he knew had been difficult and put a strain on their relationship, especially during the early years. The only person outside of his mother and Phil’s mothers that knew of their relationship was Dan’s grandmother, Demeter. Dan had trusted her right away and told her all about Phil. He had been young when they last met, only about 17,000 years old. Dan secretly hopes she’ll come to the wedding.

“Well, we won’t be hiding for much longer considering tomorrow you and your mother have to announce everything to the kingdom. Do you want me to be there when you two deliver your speeches?” Phil asks, threading his fingers through Dan’s hair and playing with the curls. Dan hums in content and kisses Phil’s cheek.

“Of course I want you there. Elpis is coming along as well since as far as everyone knew, she was going to be queen. Gods, this is going to be a mess,” Dan groans, covering his face with his hands.

“We’ll get through it like we always do. We’ve been through much worse and bounced back from it,” Phil says confidently, kissing Dan’s forehead. He knows it was going to be one of the hardest things they’ve ever done, but they’ll get through it. They have to.

\-------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day is spent mostly in Phil’s room, but they eventually leave to eat dinner and try to work out a plan. Phil works on a small speech and Dan obsesses over making speech as perfect as possible with Elpis. Phil watches the two quietly, a soft smile on his face. He’s glad Dan has found someone else he can trust and confide in.

They all get settled for the night, the excitement and tension palpable as they anticipate tomorrow’s events. All they can do is hope this doesn’t end in a bloodbath.

\-------------------------------------------------

The moment Dan wakes up, he feels incredibly anxious. They have to leave for the castle in an hour and tell the entire kingdom everything that’s happened. Dan hopes that the people of the kingdom take pity on his family when they learn how Hades was cruel and unforgiving towards his family. 

Once everyone is up and has breakfast, they start to make their way to the castle under the protection of Cerberus. Dan and Elpis walk with Dan, attempting to keep him calm. DAn is thankful for the comfort, but he can’t stop the pounding of his heart and the thoughts racing in his head.

“This is going to be difficult, but I’ll make a statement that the kingdom needs to gather for an important announcement. We’ll go deliver our speeches once the majority of the kingdom is there,” Persephone says as they walk into the castle. The castle is eerily quiet, the guards silent as they patrol the hallways.

“I’m going to the training room to blow off some steam. Come get me when it’s time to talk to the kingdom,” Dan says, kissing Phil’s cheek before walking to the training room. Phil sighs softly and watches him go.

“At least he isn’t running off like he usually does. It scares me so much when he just disappears when something goes wrong.” Phil runs hand through his hair and goes to Dan’s room, laying down in the bed and waiting for Dan to return. He smiles softly as he looks up at the plants that hang from the ceiling and sees they’re still alive and some have even bloomed. He’s never been more glad to be in this room. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, still trying to adjust to the fact that he’s free and no longer in danger. It’s hard being back in the castle after everything that’s happened to him in here. 

Elpis walks into the room a while later with a watering can in her hand. She freezes up when she sees Phil, going to leave before Phil stops her.

“You don’t have to go, Elpis,” Phil says as he sits up, a small smile on his face. “The plants need to be watered, after all. The ones closest to the window need it the most,” he says, watching Elpis as she waters the plants carefully. His mind wanders and he can’t help but to wonder what will happen to Elpis once Dan and him are married and have become the kings of the underworld. He hopes she at least stays in contact because Dan needs more friends like her.

“The plants were almost dead at one point. I had Persephone help me out with them since she’s obviously much better at it than I am. It was worth the work to see Dan smile when he saw they were all thriving again,” Elpis says, smiling softly at the memory.

“Thank you for taking care of him and doing your best to keep him in good spirits; it means a lot to me,” Phil says honestly. Elpis shrugs and sets the watering can in the windowsill.

“I’d do it a thousand times over if I had to,” she says quietly, looking out the window. She’d do anything to see Dan happy.

\-------------------------------------------------

Dan doesn’t know how long he’s been in the training room, using all his negative energy to fuel him through exercise after exercise. He doesn’t stop until Phil comes to tell him that it’s almost time for them to deliver their speeches. Dan takes a shaky breath and goes to take a shower and get dressed in his nicest clothes. His hands shake as he buttons his shirt, Phil having to help him.

“What if this ends badly? They could start a war if they wanted, Phil. I’m so scared,” Dan says, talking a mile a minute. Phil pulls him into his arms and hugs him tightly, kissing the top of his head.

“It’ll be fine, mellītum. None of that will happen, and if it does, we’ll get through it. We always will,” Phil promises, rubbing Dan’s back. Dan nods slowly and takes a few deep breaths. They go to the main room of the castle and meet up with everyone else. They all look at each other for a moment before nodding, Dan swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Let’s do this.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth about Hades is revealed to the kingdom shortly before the wedding and crowning of Dan and Phil. How does the kingdom react to the stories about their late king that show he wasn't what the public thought he was? The nerves are high as the wedding and coronation are carried out, anything could go wrong at any time, but will it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter!!! (there is an epilogue tho) holy fuck okay so this is a day late because i havent slept at all and i deleted the first draft of this because it was shit. it's almost 5,000 words tho so hopefully that makes up for it. this isnt edited like the rest of the story sorry if it's a mess i'll edit it after i get the epilogue up.

The four of them step onto the the stage to give their speeches, confused whispers breaking out when they see Phil’s arm wrapped around Dan’s waist. Persephone steps up to the podium first, a smile on her face as she addresses the people of the kingdom.

“As you all may be wondering, we have requested you gather here today to explain a few things. You may also be wondering where my husband, your soon to be former king is. Before I tell you, I ask that you stay as calm as possible. There are guards everywhere and will not hesitate to take action if need be.” Persephone’s words cause more confusion, everyone preparing themselves for what Persephone is going to say next. She takes a deep breath and tries to keep her voice as steady as possible as she says “Hades is dead.” The response is immediate, people gasping and demanding answers. A few turn to violence and are quickly taken by guards to prevent any riots from breaking out.

“I understand your shock, confusion, and fear at this news. It brought out the same feelings in us,” Persephone says, gesturing to Dan, Phil, and Elpis. “A particularly strong prisoner escaped the prison and caught Hades off guard. The prisoner managed to grab Hades’ dagger and stabbed him in the heart, killing him instantly. As hard as this was for my family and I to go through, we understand we must go on, but none of us will be continuing the legacy of the wretched man Hades was behind closed doors. My family and I are now free of the iron grip he had us in when he was alive and we can now tell you, the citizens of this kingdom, the truth.” Persephone’s voice starts to waver, but she holds herself together enough to continue. “Hades kidnapped me and forced me to be his bride. I had no choice in the matter and neither did my mother, Demeter. Hades was cruel and unforgiving, often taking out his anger on me and our son, and by extension, Dan’s mate, Phil. Although I suffered for centuries with this man, it doesn’t compare to what he has done to my son and Phil. As it is not my story to tell, I’ll let Dan give you more insight on your former king.” Persephone steps away from the podium, looking out at all the shocked and outraged faces. She watches as Dan walks towards the podium, Phil by his side. She can both of their hands shake.

“My father was nothing but a terrible man. For the first 10,000 years of my life he would avoid anything that had to do with me, but he was not abusive or cruel to me. When I was 11,000 that all changed very quickly.” Dan takes a deep, shaky breath as he starts to relive his entire adolescent life, not sparing a single detail of the abuse he, his mother, and Phil went through. The entire kingdom is silent, shocked and horrified at the truth about their late king.

“Although, the treatment I received in the beginning was terrible, it doesn’t compare to what my family has gone through recently. My father forbid me from leaving the castle until I broke my bond with Phil and married a woman of my father’s choosing. That woman was Elpis. Elpis was sold to my father and forced to agree to marry me or she would have been killed on the spot. At first, our original plan was to pretend to have a fake wedding between Elpis and I, then reveal the truth and then Phil and I would marry, but those plans changed when my father captured Phil. For two weeks Phil was locked in a dungeon and beaten so badly that he almost died. My father had every intention of killing my mate because he didn’t want a gay son,” Dan listens to the shocked gasps and looks at the sympathetic faces in the crowd, getting the courage to move on with his story. Phil holds him tighter and Dan leans into him, comforted by his presence. “Towards the end of Phil’s imprisonment, my father would beat Phil so badly that I would feel it through our bond and wouldn’t be able to move for hours at a time from the intense pain. Hades used this as a form of punishment  when I did not do exactly what he wanted and angered him, which was quite often despite any and everything I did. The only reason why Phil and I stand before you today was because of Hades death as both of us would have died when our bond would have broken by Phil’s death. As unfortunate as my father’s death may have been for some, it was like a giant weight had been lifted off of the shoulders of me and my family. Now that Hades can no longer control me, I would like to introduce you to the man that I have chosen to marry and take the throne with,” Dan says, a smile on his face as Phil starts to speak. He’s waited for this moment for so long.

“For the past 16,000 years I have been in a relationship with Dan. Every single one of those years was spent hiding away from the public in fear that Dan and I would face exile. Hades had made it painfully clear that Dan and I were to stay a secret and break up as soon as Dan was due to take the throne. Regardless of Hades’ demands, Dan and I persevered and stayed together even when it was close to impossible. Two weeks ago, shortly before my capture, I was faced with the ugly reality of what was to come with Dan taking the thrown. Dan, Elpis, and I came up with a plan that seemed foolproof, and it was, until I was captured by the castle guards and thrown into the dungeon. I do not remember much of what happened within those two weeks aside from the constant pain, hopelessness, and the occasional visit from Her Majesty the Queen, Persephone. Without her, I surely would have died from malnutrition and my wounds. She has helped to nurse me back to health since I’ve been free and I truly owe her my life.” Phil pauses for a moment to look at the crowd and smile slightly as he sees them all watching with rapt attention. “Now, I stand before you all, ready to take on the position of king alongside Prince Daniel,” he says confidently, smirking slightly when he sees the light blush on Dan’s cheeks when he calls him the prince. The crowd cheers, a metaphorical weight being lifted off Phil’s shoulders when he hears the citizens are excited for him to reign.

“Now, a word from your former queen to be, Elpis,” Dan says, stepping away from the podium with Phil, giving Elpis a smile as she takes her place on the podium. He takes a deep breath once he and Phil are standing next to his mother again, letting himself relax. Phil kisses the top of his head and Persephone grabs his free hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. The three of them watch as Elpis begins her speech with trembling hands clasped behind her back.

Elpis takes a deep breath and lets it out, both relieved and terrified to be finally doing this.

“As Prince Daniel has mentioned, I was sold to Hades by my father. I was in a similar predicament as the prince with my own father and mother. My mother was kind and accepting of me and the unchanging fact that I am gay while my father was not. This led to him resenting me to the point of putting up advertisements about him selling me. Unfortunately, the king and queen of the kingdom I lived in had no laws against this, especially when it was another king that wanted to buy me. In the time I have spent at this castle, I quickly grew terrified of the violent acts the king carried out against his own wife and son and his son’s mate. I have experienced horrors here I have only read in stories a child. Now that Hades has died, I am finally free to live my own life with the friends I have made. I ask of you all to open your minds and your hearts so we can put an end to these situations and save the lives of countless people. Thank you.” Elpis finishes her speech and is greeted by applause from everyone, a smile making its way onto her face. She steps away from the podium with a small bow and walks over to Dan and Phil, the two of them pulling her into a group hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” Dan says quietly, a small smile on his face. Elpis hugs him tightly and smiles widely.

“I’m proud of all of us. Now, let’s get out of here so Phil can go to his appointment with the tailor. Persephone has already dismissed everyone,” Elpis says, grabbing Dan and Phil’s hands. They walk together with Persephone behind them, the guards forming a physical barrier around them. The atmosphere seems lighter now that the truth has been revealed and Hades is no longer there to control the four of them. For once, everything feels right.

The rest of the day is spent putting finishing details on the wedding and coronation, as well as making sure the kingdom doesn’t decide to cause trouble now that the king is dead. Luckily, everything seems relatively calm and everything goes smoothly. They all go to bed that night, the kingdom buzzing with anticipation with what is to come.

The wedding is first, the four girls keeping Dan and Phil separate from each other as they get ready for the big day. Persephone and Elpis are with Dan and Phil is with his mothers, both being fussed over and pampered. 

“You don’t have to go all out like this, guys,” Dan whines, Elpis making sure his hair is perfect while Persephone makes Dan’s bouquet and a flower crown to match it.

“Of course we do. You’re only getting married once, so we have to go all out,” Elpis says with a bright smile, wearing what would have been her wedding dress, but was styled differently last minute to better suit being the maid of honor. She looked incredible and Dan had joked that she would steal the spotlight from him and Phil.

“You deserve an extravagant wedding, Dan. You and Phil deserve it,” Persephone says warmly, standing up and walking over to Dan. She gently sets the finished flower crown on his head, smiling softly and kissing his forehead. “I’m so proud of you two and everything you’ve gotten through.” Dan hugs her tightly when she says that, Persephone hugging back just as tightly. They stay like that for a moment before pulling away from each other, Persephone grabbing the bouquet off the bed and handing it to Dan. “Now all we have to do is wait for the guards to tell us Phil is at the altar waiting for you,” Persephone says, a proud smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Phil is feeling a lot calmer than he thought he’d be as his mothers help make sure he’s ready. He finds he’s more excited than anything, smiling to himself in the mirror.

“I’m so happy for you, Phil,” Adoni says, smiling softly at Phil. Kassiopeia stands next to her, their arms wrapped around each other’s waists as they look at their son.

“This is one of the most important and happiest days of my life… I’m finally getting the chance to marry him,” Phil says, more to himself to his mothers at this point. He looks over himself once more, smoothing down his suit and taking a deep breath. “It’s time for us to get going,” he says, glancing up at the clock. Adoni and Kassiopeia link their arms with his and they set out to the massive room that has been dedicated to the wedding. Family and carefully selected guests fill the room, all standing and watching as Phil is led down the aisle to stand at the altar. His mothers smile at him as they go to their seats, Phil watching in anticipation as a guard leaves to get Dan. Elpis is the first to walk inside, taking her place as the maid of honor. She offers Phil a smile and looks out at the crowd, everyone’s heads turning when they hear the doors being opened again. Persephone smiling proudly as she walks Dan into the room.

Dan is terrified. He doesn’t know what to expect when he walks through the doors, but he doesn’t protest when Persephone gets him inside as quickly as she can. His eyes widen when he sees Phil, almost dropping his bouquet and forgetting to walk when Phil smiles at him like he’s the only person in the room. People stand and the pianist starts to play the music as Dan walks down the aisle, his grip on his mother’s arm tight as he tries to calm his nerves. Before he knows it, he’s standing in front of Phil and Persephone is standing beside them, clearing her throat and starting the ceremony. Dan can hardly pay attention as she speaks, too focused on the man in front of him. He snaps out of it when Phil speaks, his voice strong and sure when he says “I do,” and puts the ring on Dan’s finger. Dan almost sobs, but holds it in, a few tears falling against his will. Persephone turns to him, grinning as she speaks. He takes a deep breath and looks straight into Phil’s eyes as he says “I do,” and slips the ring onto Phil’s finger, never feeling more sure of himself than in this moment. Phil starts to cry with him after that, the two smiling so much their faces hurt.

“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom,” Persephone says, excitement obvious in her voice. Dan smiles widely as Phil pulls him close and presses their lips together. There’s cheers as they kiss, notably Elpis, Persephone, and Adoni and Kassiopeia. Phil is the first one to pull away, looking down at Dan and giggling out of pure joy.

“We’re married!” Dan exclaims, hugging Phil tightly. He pulls away when he hears Elpis yell out for him to toss his bouquet, turning his back to the crowd and counting to three before he throws the flowers behind him. He quickly turns around to see who caught, giggling as Elpis stares down at the flowers in her hands in shock. He hears her quietly whisper “I didn’t think I’d actually catch it.”

“Wonder who the mystery girl that’ll steal your heart will be,” Dan jokes, leaning into Phil’s side. Elpis blushes and grips the flowers a little tighter, her gaze flickering to a girl that’s in the crowd of now standing people.  _ The tailor’s daughter _ , Dan thinks to himself, chuckling softly. “Go talk to her,” he says, laughing as she stutters over her words before just giving in and walking over to her. 

“Let’s enjoy the reception a bit, yeah? We still have the wedding cake to cut after all,” Phil says, wrapping his arm around Dan’s waist and walking towards the banquet table. The cake is outrageously tall with ornate decorations all over it. Persephone gets everyone’s attention as Dan grabs the cake knife, Phil wrapping his hand around Dan’s and counting down from three before they slice into the cake, people cheering once again. They only cut one slice for each other to share since there’s a second cake to be eaten at their private ceremony after this. Everyone crowds around the table to get their share of the food and talk to the newlyweds. Dan is as polite as he can be when he’s so overwhelmed by happiness. He’s also bordering on the edge of exhausted as they had to wake up early to fit all of today’s events into one day. Luckily, the reception is short they leave the castle to go to the gardens.

Once they’re in the gardens, they’re met with the gorgeous sight of hundreds of blooming flowers and the vines have formed an archway for Dan and Phil to stand under. 

“It’s so gorgeous…” Dan whispers, looking around in awe.

“It is, isn’t it?” asks a voice Dan hasn’t heard in centuries. 

“ _ Grandma? _ ” Dan asks in disbelief, turning to see where the voice came from and seeing his grandmother standing in the center of the garden. He runs to her, hugging her tightly and almost knocking them both over. Demeter laughs as she hugs her grandson back, kissing his forehead.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t show up for your big day?” she asks, smiling down at Dan. Dan hugs her tighter in response before pulling away.

“I’m so glad you were able to come. It wouldn’t have been the same without you,” he says sincerely. He’s so glad she was able to come to such an important event in his life; she was one of the few people he had left that truly cared. 

“Let's get this show on the road, boys. The vines are getting antsy,” Persephone says, Dan and Phil quickly obeying her orders and standing together under the arch. Dan pulls out the little paper he’s had in his pocket all day. They had saved their vows for this, wanting to keep them personal and not said aloud for everyone to hear. Persephone stands between them like she had before, smiling at at her son and new son-in-law.

“So, we’ve already gotten through the boring stuff during the official wedding, so let’s just skip to your vows. Dan, since your vows are quite lengthy, you go first,” Persephone says, smiling as Dan  grabs Phil’s hand before he starts speaking.

“Phil, when we met we were just two kids that didn’t understand the reality of what my title of prince meant. We were young and carefree and so  _ happy _ that we didn’t realize that everything was slowly falling apart around us. During the year that we lost Chris and Pj, we had our first falling out. We had been together for six-thousand years and were starting to understand the world wasn’t as kind as we thought it was. We fought over their deaths and my father’s attitude towards us and our relationship and we took out our pain on each other for over a decade. To be honest, I thought that would be the end of us. You left and I dated to try to cope and get over you, but ended up breaking off the latest fling I was having and isolated myself in my room. The moment you heard that I was single, you snuck out of your house and threw rocks at my window until I finally woke up to answer you. I told you to meet in the gardens and in response, you climbed a tree and crawled through my window. For the sake of your dignity, I’ll leave out the details about how you landed directly onto your head once you got through the window,” Dan says, chuckling as Phil rolls his eyes playfully. “I remember that night we talked about the future and what it held for us, and you told me for the first time that your ultimate goal in life was to marry me, and look at us now. We had to go through a lot of shit and we almost didn’t make it to this point, but now that we’re here, married and on our way to rule the entire kingdom together, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I am so much more than thankful that you’ve stood by my side through everything because there’s no one else in this world that I’d rather have standing in front of me than you. I love you, matia mou,” Dan says, smiling softly and gently squeezing Phil’s hand. Phil reflexively squeezes back, beaming despite the tears in his eyes.

“Phil?” Persephone asks, signalling it was Phil’s turn to speak. Phil could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.

“Dan, where do I start with this? You know I’m terrible with words and I’m even worse with saying important things, but I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this so hopefully it’s a little less of a mess than it could be,” Phil says with a slightly nervous chuckle, earning a reassuring smile from Dan. “These past 16,000 years have been nothing but incredible, even through the tough times. From our first few decades we were together when we were young and everything was fun and new, to the last few months when it seemed like everything was falling apart and neither of us were going to make. Despite what’s happened to us over the course of our relationship, I have never once regretted dating you, bonding with you, and now marrying you. You’re the best decision I have ever made and I love you more than any words to could ever hope to describe. I look forwards to our future together, mellītum.” Phil finishes his vows by pressing a kiss to the ring on Dan’s hand, making Dan grin so widely he was worried his face would get stuck.

“I know you’re technically married already, but I wanna say it again because I can,” Persephone says excitedly, everyone giggling at her happiness. “By the power vested in me,for the second time, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss the groom!” She says, clapping her hands as Dan grabs the collar of Phil’s suit and pulls him down for a kiss. Demeter and Elpis cheer as loud as they can, causing Dan and Phil to break the kiss with their laughter. 

“We’re married! Again!” Phil says, giggling and pulling Dan close. Dan wraps his arms around Phil’s neck, smiling brightly.

“This is the best day of my life. I literally dreamed about our wedding when we were kids,” Dan laughs softly at the memory, remembering being a kid and writing his and Phil’s names in lovehearts on all of his school notebooks. He goes to say something else, but gets interrupted by his mother speaking.

“You two still have a cake to eat, remember?” Persephone says, gesturing to a cake that’s much simpler than the one at their official wedding, but Dan knows it’s bound to taste better since his mother made it. He grabs Phil’s hand and quickly walks over to the cake. Phil grabs the cake knife before Dan can get to it, chuckling at Dan’s whines of protest as Phil cuts into the cake.

“Be patient, Dan,” Phil says as he plates the piece of cake. He grabs a fork and turns to Dan, holding up a bite of cake for Dan to eat. He glances over at Elpis and smiles evilly as Dan eagerly tries to eat it, only to have the fork be pulled away and replaced with the whole slice of cake being smushed against his face. Dan gasps and Phil bursts into laughter. Elpis howls with laughter, causing Demeter and Elpis to look over at the two men. They join in the laughter when the plate is pulled away to reveal Dan’s cake covered face.

“What the actual fuck, Phil?” Dan cries out, wiping the frosting off of his face. He glares at Phil as he laughs, deciding to get revenge by grabbing a handful of the cake and smearing it all over Phil’s face. Phil shrieks and swats Dan’s hand away. Dan cackles at Phil’s shocked and betrayed expression.

“Not so funny when it’s you, is it?” Dan asks, grabbing one of the cloth napkins to wipe off his face. Phil just pouts and does the same, causing Dan to laugh more.

“You two are perfect for each other,” Demeter says from where she stands with Persephone and Elpis, a small, proud smile on her face. Dan smiles back, nodding. “We really are.”

“You’re also going to be late to your own coronation if you don’t go get cleaned up now,” Persephone says, laughing when Dan and Phil rush into the castle to get their hands and faces washed.

“I’m so glad they got to be together,” Demeter says, smiling softly. “They always were so happy together.”

“They deserve this. I’m so glad Hades wasn’t able to destroy them before they got the chance at happiness…” Persephone says, her husband’s death still a sore spot for her despite the fact he was almost nothing but cruel to her and her only son.

“I’m glad the fucker’s dead,” Demeter says deadpan, making Persephone gasp and smack her arm gently.

“Don’t be rude, mom. He may have been an asshole, but he was still my husband,” Persephone says, sighing softly. “But I am too. I don’t know how much longer I could have gone without killing him myself,” she mutters.

“Exactly. Now, let’s get going; the coronation is starting soon,” Demeter says, walking back into the castle with Persephone and Elpis. 

Dan and Phil are already ready for the coronation, waiting by the throne room for the girls to show up. They’re both marveling at the fact they’re married and only moments away from ruling an entire kingdom together.

“You’re going to be such a wonderful king… This kingdom is lucky to have you,” Phil says, smiling down at Dan. Dan blushes and smiles up at Phil.

“They’re lucky to have you too; you’re going to be a wonderful king,” Dan says, hugging Phil tightly. “We’re going to do wonderfully.”

“I don’t doubt that we will,” Phil says, unable to stop smiling.

“Alright boys! Time for the most important day of your lives! Let’s get it over with so we can sleep,” Persephone saws, walking past the boys and opening the doors to the throne room. Everyone follows after her, taking their places as Persephone addresses the audience of fellow royalty that will be affected by this change in power and begins her farewell speech. She keeps it short and sweet, calling up Dan and Phil to crown them.

“I’m going to take the longest nap ever after this,” Persephone mumbles as she takes her crown off her head. She smiles at Dan and steps closer to him, reciting the traditional bullshit as she places the crown on his head. “I know you should technically be wearing your father’s crown, but I think mine suits you better,” she says quietly, smiling brightly as she moves onto Phil, she repeats the process, placing Hades’ crown on Phil’s head. She turns to the crowd, saying a final goodbye as their former queen and stepping to the side, watching Dan and Phil make their speeches. She has never been more proud of the both of them than in this moment.

Dan and Phil look out at the cheering crowd, matching smiles on their faces. They thank everyone before they leave with the girls, escorted to their rooms by guards.

“I can’t believe it happened… I’m a married man  _ and _ the king,” Dan says, gently taking his crown off and staring at it in disbelief. Phil wraps his arms around Dan from behind, kissing the top of his head.

“You deserve it,” he says, smiling as Dan leans into him. “Now, these things are really heavy, so let’s get them put in their case, yeah?” Phil takes his crown off as well and walks over to the case Dan had made to keep their crowns safe. He sets his on the fancy pillow, followed by Dan, then locks the case.

“They look perfect sitting next to each other like that,” Dan says softly, smiling at Phil

“They really do,” Phil says in agreement, pulling Dan close and resting his forehead against Dan’s. “You ready to start the most hectic and exciting years of our lives together?” he asks. Dan smiles and looks into Phil’s eyes, nodding once.

“I can’t wait.”


End file.
